Thoughts And Ramblings From The Life Of A Baptist Preacher

Monthly Archives: August 2008

A lot has happened since I last took the time to sit here and blog. Week before last, the family took a much needed vacation and spent some time together at a cabin in the mountains above Pigeon Forge, TN. We had a very relaxing week together. For many years we were not able to take vacations because we could not afford to. Now we can, so we do.

This week has been very unusual. I preached Monday evening at Piney Grove Baptist Church here in our county. We had a great service. The Lord moved and several decisions were made. Tuesday morning I received a call from a brokenhearted mother that her 24-year-old son had been killed in a car wreck late Monday night. His name was Mark Garnhum and he was saved and called to preach under our ministry at Gilead Baptist Church in Burke County. Mark was like a son to Joan and me when he was growing up. He was in our home on mnay occasions because he and our son Jesse were best friends. At any rate, we had his funeral Wednesday night in Morganton, NC and the burial was Thursday afternoon in Burnsville, NC. Mark will be missed by his family. Please pray for his widow Kayla, their two children Kassie and Kayden, his mother, his father Frank and his sister Virginia. There are some great spiritual needs in the family so please pray that God will be glorified through the death of this fine young man.

One of our men, Brother Norman Tester, has been in intensive care since Wednesday evening. Brother Norman is a walking miracle. A few years ago he had throat cancer. Docotrs removed his tongue, larynx and interior throat muscles. Norman can’tr swallow, so he has to be fed through a feeding tube. Even without a tongue and a larynx, Norman can still speak and often stands to thank the Lord for saving his soul. Last year Norman had lung cancer and lost his riht lung. Now, he is having siezures. He had been in the hospital for three weeks due to these seizures. Wednesday afternoon Norman had a seizure and aspirated a bunch of the liquid food they feed him. His left lung is full of that material and he is now on a ventilator, with pneumonia and other problems. Please pray for Norman, his wife Earlene, and his daughters Renee and Sherry. They would appreciate it.

I am schedules to be with Pastor Ken Frady and the folks at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Connelly Springs, NC. Please remember the meeting and come if you can.

We had a wonderful meeting in Tallapoosa, GA with Pastor Alton Stamey and the good folks at Westview Baptist Church. They were vocal and responsive during the meeting and I enjoyed tremendous liberty to preach in all the services. On Thursday, the Lord did something special for the church. The people shouted, testified and used the altars for over 2 hours! We never did get around to preaching, at least, there was no preaching from the pulpit; there was plenty from the pews. It was a great night to be in the house of God! Please pray for Pastor Stamey and the folks at Westview. The Lord is there! Thank you also to Pastor Ken Bowman and the folks at Liberty Baptist Church in Bowdon, GA for allowing Sister Joan and me to stay in their prophet’s quarters for the week. We appreciate you folks!

I am looking forward to being with the good folks at Calvary Baptist tomorrow. I enjoy preaching meeting, but it is always good to get back to Calvary. God is so good to us when we gather at His house and I am thankful.

When the services are over tomorrow evening, My son Jesse, my son-in-law Chad, my grandson Clayton and I will join our wives (an Clayton’s mother) in Pigeon Forge, TN for a few days of rest and vacation. The ladies went ahead on Friday and we will join them when our respective Lord’s Day duties have been fulfilled. Pray for a safe trip.

That being said, I may or may not be blogging this week. It all depends on the Internet situation at the cabin. That’s all for tonight. It’s bedtime here in North Carolina. God bless you all and have a great day tomorrow!

All I can say is “Praise the Lord!” Our second annual Bible Conference was amazing! Every sermon came to us with the breathe of Heaven on it. I have never heard so many men preach such Christ-exalting, heartrending, and soul-searching messages. The Lord truly met with His people in a powerful manner. As soon as time permits, I will post the audios to The Sermon Notebook Audio page. When that happens, I will post a notice here. I hope you will check back to obtain the messages.

Every service in the meeting was powerful and rich, but the Lord did something very profound on Wednesday evening. During that service the Lord met with His people. There was such brokenness and conviction in the service. It was a truly profound experience. I know the Lord broke my heart and left me weeping at His feet. I praise Him for all He did. I wish I could tell you more about what the Lord did, but it seems to me that it was such a holy time, to talk about seems almost like sacrilege. Mark your calendars. Our meeting next year will be August 2-6, 2009.

here and there this week taking care of business. Yesterday morning I went to Morganton, NC with my son Jesse. He was preaching at a tent meeting there. As usual he did a great job. He preached in the power of God and he was faithful to exegete the text and allow it to speak. That is my kind of preaching!

This morning I went to the hospital. One of our young ladies was having some surgery, and all went well. I have an eye exam this afternoon. Then, tonight, the family will go to my parent’s home for a visit. My brother and his wife, who live in Ohio, are down here for a few days and we want to see them before they get away. Besides that, today is Mom and Dad’s 49th anniversary. Congratulation’s Mom and Dad! I love you folks!

Our Bible Conference kicks off Sunday morning with Evangelist Tom Hayes from Saluda, NC. He will be preaching both services on Sunday. Our morning services are Monday – Thursday at 9:30 AM. We will have three or four preachers each morning, Lord willing. And, we will be providing lunch each day. The evening services will feature two preachers and will begin each evening at 7:00 PM. Please pray for the meeting and come if you can! I will do my best to post the audios as soon as possible. Click here for more information about the conference.